Latitudinal trends in the biomass allocation of invasive Spartina alterniflora: implications for salt marsh adaptation to climate warming

IntroductionBiomass allocation between aboveground and belowground pools in salt marshes has distinct effects on salt marsh stability, and is influenced by climate warming and reproductive investment. However, the lack of studies on the effect of latitudinal variations in reproductive investments an...

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Main Authors: Yasong Chen, Fujia Wu, Yueyue Wang, Yangping Guo, Matthew L. Kirwan, Wenwen Liu, Yihui Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-12-01
Series:Frontiers in Marine Science
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1510854/full
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author Yasong Chen
Fujia Wu
Yueyue Wang
Yangping Guo
Matthew L. Kirwan
Wenwen Liu
Yihui Zhang
author_facet Yasong Chen
Fujia Wu
Yueyue Wang
Yangping Guo
Matthew L. Kirwan
Wenwen Liu
Yihui Zhang
author_sort Yasong Chen
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionBiomass allocation between aboveground and belowground pools in salt marshes has distinct effects on salt marsh stability, and is influenced by climate warming and reproductive investment. However, the lack of studies on the effect of latitudinal variations in reproductive investments and biomass allocation in salt marshes makes it difficult to explore mechanisms of marsh plant growth to climate warming across geographical scales. The rapid invasion of the salt marsh grass Spartina alterniflora into lower latitude marshes around the world provides an opportunity to investigate biomass allocation and reproductive investment across latitudes, helping to understand how salt marshes respond to climate warming.MethodsTherefore, we investigated aboveground biomass (AGB), belowground biomass (BGB), total biomass, sexual reproduction traits (inflorescence biomass, flowering culm), asexual reproduction traits (shoot number, rhizome biomass), among S. alterniflora at 19 sites in 10 geographic locations over a latitudinal gradient of ~2000 km from Dongying (37.82°N, high latitude) to Danzhou (19.73°N, low latitude) in China.ResultsThe AGB, BGB, and total biomass displayed hump shaped relationships with latitude, but the BGB: AGB ratio decreased with increasing latitude (i.e. increased linearly with temperature). Interestingly, we found that the BGB: AGB ratio negatively correlated with sexual reproductive investment, but positively correlated with asexual reproductive investment.DiscussionWhile conceptual and numerical models of salt marsh stability and carbon accumulation often infer responses based on aboveground biomass, our study suggests that salt marsh responses to climate warming based on aboveground biomass and static allocations may bias estimates of future salt marsh production driven by climate warming.
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spelling doaj-art-a7faf956eb7a49d084bb85d06e68c5d82024-12-11T16:23:41ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452024-12-011110.3389/fmars.2024.15108541510854Latitudinal trends in the biomass allocation of invasive Spartina alterniflora: implications for salt marsh adaptation to climate warmingYasong Chen0Fujia Wu1Yueyue Wang2Yangping Guo3Matthew L. Kirwan4Wenwen Liu5Yihui Zhang6Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, ChinaKey Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, ChinaKey Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, ChinaKey Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, ChinaVirginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary, Gloucester Point, VA, United StatesKey Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, ChinaKey Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, ChinaIntroductionBiomass allocation between aboveground and belowground pools in salt marshes has distinct effects on salt marsh stability, and is influenced by climate warming and reproductive investment. However, the lack of studies on the effect of latitudinal variations in reproductive investments and biomass allocation in salt marshes makes it difficult to explore mechanisms of marsh plant growth to climate warming across geographical scales. The rapid invasion of the salt marsh grass Spartina alterniflora into lower latitude marshes around the world provides an opportunity to investigate biomass allocation and reproductive investment across latitudes, helping to understand how salt marshes respond to climate warming.MethodsTherefore, we investigated aboveground biomass (AGB), belowground biomass (BGB), total biomass, sexual reproduction traits (inflorescence biomass, flowering culm), asexual reproduction traits (shoot number, rhizome biomass), among S. alterniflora at 19 sites in 10 geographic locations over a latitudinal gradient of ~2000 km from Dongying (37.82°N, high latitude) to Danzhou (19.73°N, low latitude) in China.ResultsThe AGB, BGB, and total biomass displayed hump shaped relationships with latitude, but the BGB: AGB ratio decreased with increasing latitude (i.e. increased linearly with temperature). Interestingly, we found that the BGB: AGB ratio negatively correlated with sexual reproductive investment, but positively correlated with asexual reproductive investment.DiscussionWhile conceptual and numerical models of salt marsh stability and carbon accumulation often infer responses based on aboveground biomass, our study suggests that salt marsh responses to climate warming based on aboveground biomass and static allocations may bias estimates of future salt marsh production driven by climate warming.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1510854/fullinvasive plantslatitudebiomass allocationtrade-offsaltmarshglobal warming
spellingShingle Yasong Chen
Fujia Wu
Yueyue Wang
Yangping Guo
Matthew L. Kirwan
Wenwen Liu
Yihui Zhang
Latitudinal trends in the biomass allocation of invasive Spartina alterniflora: implications for salt marsh adaptation to climate warming
Frontiers in Marine Science
invasive plants
latitude
biomass allocation
trade-off
saltmarsh
global warming
title Latitudinal trends in the biomass allocation of invasive Spartina alterniflora: implications for salt marsh adaptation to climate warming
title_full Latitudinal trends in the biomass allocation of invasive Spartina alterniflora: implications for salt marsh adaptation to climate warming
title_fullStr Latitudinal trends in the biomass allocation of invasive Spartina alterniflora: implications for salt marsh adaptation to climate warming
title_full_unstemmed Latitudinal trends in the biomass allocation of invasive Spartina alterniflora: implications for salt marsh adaptation to climate warming
title_short Latitudinal trends in the biomass allocation of invasive Spartina alterniflora: implications for salt marsh adaptation to climate warming
title_sort latitudinal trends in the biomass allocation of invasive spartina alterniflora implications for salt marsh adaptation to climate warming
topic invasive plants
latitude
biomass allocation
trade-off
saltmarsh
global warming
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1510854/full
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